Park Playhouse replaces longtime leader

Park Playhouse, which for more than two decades has presented free summertime musicals at the Washington Park Lakehouse amphitheater, has replaced its veteran leader with a director who performed with the company in his younger years before working in theater in New York City.

Troubled by two seasons of substantial financial deficits, Park Playhouse’s board of directors late last year decided to oust Ven Borromeo, right, who was associated with the theater troupe and its predecessor for 24 years, serving for many of them as producing artistic director and, often, additional roles as stage director and set designer.

“It was time for a change,” said Anthony J. Marinello, a board member and physician with a practice in Clifton Park. He has been on the board for six years and became its president at the beginning of January.

The board chose as Borromeo’s replacement the only candidate it seriously considered, Owen M. Smith, 27, of Delmar. Smith, who graduated from Bethlehem schools and the State University of New York at New Paltz with a degree in theater, at Park Playhouse most recently directed its 2008 show, “West Side Story,” as well as earlier productions. He has administrative experience as assistant general manager of Theatre for a New Audience and co-founder of The Clockwork Theatre, both in New York.

“He displayed leadership qualities that the board felt would be very beneficial,” said Marinello. “Once we knew that Owen was available and the board discussed it, he was the very first choice from the start.”

Smith’s immediate mandates to prepare for Park Playhouse’s 22nd summer are to organize its administrative operations and to raise money, two areas where, Smith and Marinello said, Borromeo was lacking.

“Ven was a wonderful designer and director, but it seemed like he really struggled with those other things, especially the last two years,” said Marinello.

Two sources familiar with the leadership change said several members left the board and others threatened to do so if Borromeo was not replaced.

In what is perhaps a sign of the relationship between Borromeo and the board, Borromeo’s name appears just once in the news release about Smith’s hiring; the three-page announcement runs to more than 1,200 words. The designer and director dedicated almost a quarter-century to the theater company, and he was the face most associated with Park Playhouse, from his appearances onstage during fund-raising pleas during intermissions.

Marinello downplayed internal strife, saying, “It really was a mutual decision between Ven and the board. It seemed like we needed a fresh beginning.”

Borromeo, who lives in East Greenbush, said he welcomed the change and that turning 50 last year has made him reflective about life.

“I said to myself, ‘After 24 years of this, you’ve really got to think about you, finally.’ I don’t have a retirement account; my whole life has been Park Playhouse. I have to figure out to do with the next 50 years,” Borromeo said. He said he expects to pursue opportunities in teaching, directing and designing. He said he has been in regular contact with Smith, whom he has know for 10 years and believes is an ideal replacement.

Marinello said he could not provide deficit figures for 2008 and 2009 seasons; the news release announcing Smith’s hiring said the company had “endured several financially difficult seasons in recent years.” Board treasurer Bob Esposito did not return a call seeking financial details. The most recent IRS form on file for Park Playhouse, for the 2007 seasons, lists a deficit of $26,000 on an annual budget of about $500,000. Smith said the 2010 budget will be smaller but said he could not be precise.

Smith will be paid an annual salary in the $40,000 range as Park Playhouse’s new producing artistic director, about $20,000 less than Borromeo received.

“That’s as it should be. He was there for so many years,” Smith said. “I gladly took the cut. My job is to be fiscally responsible, to make sure the company is solvent and financially strong.”

Smith and Marinello said that while they appreciated Borromeo’s choice to try more contemporary fare with Park Playhouse’s 2009 production, “High School Musical,” attendance was down by more than 35 percent and income suffered.

“We have an audience that expects to see Broadway classics,” said Smith. This summer’s production will be “Annie Get Your Gun.”

Smith said he hopes, after returning Park Playhouse to more solid financial footing, to broaden its offerings by mounting two or three main-stage productions each summer instead of one and to better integrate the main company with its two youth wings, Park Playhouse II and Park Playhouse Kidz.

20 Responses

During the Park Playhouse run of “West Side Story,” he went far out of his way to designate one evening Cinderella Project Night, providing tickets (and refreshments) for the young women — plus a guest of each one — who received gowns that year from The Cinderella Project, the nonprofit organization for which I proudly serve on its board of directors.

Ven came up with the idea himself. We were grateful to him then, we are grateful to him now, and we wish him only the best.

How many different hats did they expect Ven to wear. From everything I saw he did a GREAT job. Maybe one of the local schools or Cohoes Music Hall can take advantage of his talent. High School Musical was overdone on TV and everywhere else, it probably wasn’t a great choice, but I saw the show and it was great. The economy didn’t help. Let’s see how well this new guy does.

Vern took a big chance with High School Musical last Summer and sadly it failed. I think a lot of people WERE looking for inexpensive things to do last Summer and HSM didn’t fit. I know none of my family had any desire to see it and we have gone in the past years. My husband and I are both thrilled to see that an old classic will be done next Summer.

Vern has done a LOT of good for the Capitol District in his many years with the Playhouse and I wish him well. But, every organization needs change and I look forward to the new life Owen Smith will bring..

I had the pleasure of serving on the Park Playhouse Board with Ven for 4 years. Ven devoted his life and his vast amount of energy to this organization for over 20 years. Ven was truly the source of the “Magic” in the “Magic of Park Playhouse.” I wish him all the best in his future endeavors.

I have known Ven for over 25 years and I think he did a fantastic job with Parkplayhouse. Over the years, much of his hard work, amazing creativity and love for the organization went unnoticed. Is it possible, that not any one person can do all that is required (by the board) in this position?
Ven will land on his feet and wherever he chooses to go they will be lucky to have him.

I have to be careful how I put this, because in no way to I wish to disrespect the passion and energy Ven has put into Park Playhouse throughout his tenure. Anyone with an insider’s view of how PP has operated over the past decade understands why this change needed to take place. Facts are facts – the organization is not where it needs to be, and the board could only wait so many seasons before it had to make a change. This move is not a reacation to a poor summer take – it can’t be blammed on the choice of High School Musical, the weather, the economy, or any other singular reason. There has been ample time and opportunity for Ven to reinvigorate the program, but the reality is, his tenure had run its course.
Bravo, on the board’s decision to go with Owen Smith. For those of us who have been behind the scenes, we have seen Owen pick up a great deal of slack over a number of summers, going above and beyond the scope of whichever role he held at the time. Owen has a diverse Park Playhouse background that spans acting in the PP and PP2 shows, production, fundraising, direction, musical direction, and consulting. His youth will bring much needed energy to the Park and his experience in the NY scene will broaded the horizons of PP. Where most NY city theater companies fail within the first year, Owen’s Clockwork Theater has continued to thrive over the past several years.
As with any project that needs rebuilding, this will not be an overnight process, but I for one am excited for Mr. Smith to bring magic to return to Park Playhouse.

As a longtime supporter of Park Playhouse, I am very sad to see Ven go. Year after year he provided his tireless energy and spirit to bring free, high quality theater to the Capital District. In an age where our youth see little but screen images and action, Ven, by presenting live theater to countless children and adults, has added a critical dimension to our lives, and enriched us all.

Although many of us remember Ven as the energetic MC at each Park Playhouse show, asking for community support in the most clever and theatrical ways, behind the scenes Ven WAS Park Playhouse, managing every aspect of the production, and getting the job done. The thousands who have attended the more than 20 years of Park Playhouse productions that Ven has sheparded owe Ven an enormous debt of gratitude. Others may follow in his footsteps, but it was Ven who cut and widened the trail to what is and will hopefully continue to be a vibrant and meaningful part of Capital District creative life.

How can a “non-working” board put the blame on a person that dedicated every minute to Park Playhouse? I have known Ven for many years and I must say that he was such an amazing force of energy behind Park Playhouse. I can only say great things about Ven. I am sure that many people will agree that Ven was one of the hardest working people they know and only wish him the best. I hope that best for Park Playhouse.

Opps, what happened to the above note stating that all personal attacks will be rejected? Sounds to me that the above message was written in ignorance or perhaps a sour board member that should not have been on the board and certainly not with an “insiders view” for
the past ten years. Whoever was behind the scenes for ten years must have had their head in the sand to have missed all of the many positive things Ven has done for PP AND the community.If it wasn’t for
Ven’s loyalty to PP a lot of people including Owen, PP2, actors and actrees that have moved on to broadway- never would have happened.
Too bad that the board was not astute enough to see the truth of the matter.
Ven, wherever you go, know that you are the only one who put
the ” Magic in Park Playhouse”.
You ARE the BEST
Thank you

The story indicates that PP operated at a $26K deficit this past season. My guess is that if there were one or two less rainouts then last year’s production probably would have been profitable.
I know for certain, as the dad of a performer in West Side Story of 2008, that there were at least a half-dozen rainouts that year … again, all cutting into the production’s bottom line.
It seems that all of that was out of Ven’s control, and that the one thing that would ensure financial stability for the coming summer would be fewer rain cancellations.
I know that actors and musicians enjoyed working for and with Ven, and that he will be missed.

As a longtime corporate sponsor of PP I’m extremely disappointed by the Board’s decision the replace Ven Burromeo. He has always been a class act! They will have a hard time getting someone to wear all of the hats he wore including fund raising as well as he did! Free Theatre is unusual in this day & age but “free” comes at a cost! The Board has to step up & provide financial support with CASH or more corporate sponsors, Owen will need their help! They can’t expect the City to fund it with the fiscal restraints facing all municipalities! They will always be at the mercy of weather & selection of shows & they should not to be afraid of trying something new like High School Musical. Trying to attract new & younger audiences should always be their goal! Farewell Ven, good luck, change is always a good thing!

Ven Burromeo doesn’t know me from Adam. In all the time I have attended PP, there was not one time that at some point during the evening I wasn’t greeted with a warm ” hello, thank you for coming, and please enjoy the show” from Ven. The man was everywhere. His energy alone could have lit the stage. Good luck, to Mr. Smith, he has a tough act to follow.

Park Playhouse is a unique venue in the Capital District that my family and I have enjoyed over the years. The quality of the productions under Vern’s direction was fantastic. We wish him luck in the next chapter in his life. When one door is closed another is opened.

What can I say about this man Ven Borromeo! He is the man that has made me to what I am today in the theatre world. I truly believe if it wasn’t for him taking me under his wing I don’t know where and what I would be doing today. For a man of many trades I THANK YOU for the opportunity for letting me explore the many trades of theatre over the past 9 years. It has been one incredible journey and I have been honored to have been able to be part of it all. I know it will take some time to get back on your feet, but I know you will bounce back from it all. I wish you the best with your future endeavors.

I always found the productions at Park Playhouse to be of very high caliber and looked forward to attending every year. Ven exhibited unbelievable talent and energy to assure that the quality of the performances remained top notch. With the overwhelming amount of responsibilities he had to handle he continually performed at a very high standard. It seems rather unfair that the board focused solely on the financials versus recognizing the talent they had and identifying ways to support him and provide assistance to reach the levels of financial support required to continue providing such an outstanding product. Simply replacing Ven and continuing to expect the impossible from Owen Smith will not change the situation.
Thanks Ven for all your years of service. I wish you all the best in the future.

I write this with a broken heart. My beloved friend and tremendously respected colleague, Ven Borromeo, has been tremendously disrespected by my beloved Park Playhouse and the Board that represents them. Ven graciously took over when I made my decision to leave Albany after my husband Barry’s death in the early 90’s. I have repeatedly returned summer after summer to watch my ‘baby’ grow. Under Ven’s leadership I saw the project blossom in every sense of the word. What amazed me the most was seeing Ven still climbing all over the set to hammer in those last nails, or working the ice cream concession to make sure they were ‘up to speed’. The last few summers when I took weeks at a time to stay at at our lakehouse, I watched the rain fall night after night in Averill Park knowing how disastrous this was going to be for PPI. I knew how much Ven must be churning.
As I travel through life I learn more and more about people, but I am still shocked when I hear of betrayal. When I learn about a young man whom Ven considered a dear friend, approach people to replace him. I find it hard to believe that Ven’s virtual female partner in all the parts of Park Playhouse kept him in the dark about what was taking place. I was under the belief that the Board of Park Playhouse was made up of the community’s finest. Yet a participating Board member who had been an actor there,led a petty driven parade to destroy a man like Ven who gave his heart, energy and virtual life to Park Playhouse. All this never even bringing Ven into the fray to plead his own case. You should all be ashamed of yourselves!!!

In my opinion, the shows at the Playhouse have been in decline over the last several years. It started as decisions were made to get more amateurs involved to save money. There were more and more kids in the cast & orchestra and it showed. I can’t tell for sure, but I think the sound levels were all set at the same level regardless of the casts vocal power and same for the orchestra. The electric instruments always overpowered acoustic ones.
It’s great to have a place for young people, both artistic and technical to cut their teeth, but truth be told the Playhouse isn’t what it once was.

Speaking as someone who was involved at Park Playhouse for many years I can say that it was Ven, indeed, who was responsible for overseeing virtually every aspect of the company. I believe that is where the problem lies. It is not possible for one person to “do it all.” There are just way too many things to be responsible for and sooner or later it becomes too much for one person. Ven gave me many opportunities to grow as an artist and I am extremely grateful for all that he has done for me. He is a very talented person and a people person. It’s also true that somewhere along the way Ven lost a lot of his passion for Park Playhouse. While he still performed his job, it just wasn’t the same. If you have attended the shows over the past 10 years then you can attest to the declining level of talent, orchestra, show selection and overall production values. It’s hard to expect one person to be the business manager AND the artistic manager. I don’t think it’s fair but I think it’s the way that Ven wanted it. If he had some help on the business end then I think he may still be in his position doing what he truly does best- CREATE- design and build set/scenery and costumes, etc… Many people have Ven to thank for his contribution to their performance, technical and backstage careers but many people, who LOVED working at Park, were also “blacklisted” for reasons that are unclear other than Ven was through with you. Bravo to the board for making a wise decision in hiring Owen. He knows Park Playhouse just as well as Ven as he has been involved in a VERY LARGE capacity for many, many years. Just as Ven took the reins when he was 26, Owen is an extremely capable young man who I believe will do much to revive the Magic at Park Playhouse. Good luck to Ven and Owen!